And since then I've actually made it up. (Twice, but I only have one photographed.)

Here's a better view of the bodice:

And the neck binding/gathers:

And the zipper (not the best job I've ever done, but serviceable):

And the back view:

And the inside of the midriff, which I underlined in silk organza to give it a little strength & anti-wrinkle mojo:

So: pattern notes. The gathers will make you look bustier than you are; decide whether this is a bug or a feature and act accordingly. This one is cut one size smaller in the neckline, but for the second version, I ended up cutting two sizes down in the shoulder/neck — either the neckline is very wide, or my shoulders are narrow, not sure which. I did a four-inch hem (folded two inches, folded again, blindstitched on the machine) because this voile fabric is so lightweight that you need a heavy hem to make it hang right … and it turned out to be the right length.

Oh, and I added pockets.

This dress is really fun to wear; it's light and airy and goes well with sneakers and with sandals, and it is PERFECT for Liberty Tana Lawn (I made a second one in Tana Lawn that I haven't photographed yet). The gathers would be trickier in heavier fabric — I think even quilting cotton would be too stiff. (I've also cut one out in dotted Swiss; we'll see how that goes.)

I've seriously had this flower fabric for one kajillion years, and probably part of my joy in finding this pattern is that it will work for several OTHER pieces of fabric of roughly the same geological era — all of which were too beautiful not to purchase, but too lightweight to make into shirtdresses. I feel so justified moving them all to California now …

(And did you Whovians know Chameleon Circuit has a new album out? You probably did. The eleven-year-old fanboy in my house has been playing it for me all week. It's really good! I think you can hear it here; my favorite I think is "Everything is Ending".)

To me, this feels like the kind of suit worn in novels by heroines who take jobs as governesses, etc. before returning to their prior station. A conservative cut in a fabric that is just slightly too attention-getting, yes? (And of course it goes without saying that in the kind of novel I'm talking about, this suit would call attention to the heroine's startling blue or violet eyes …)

All the action here is with Pink Dress Lady. What the heck is that in her hand? Camera? Lorgnette? Laser sight? Smoked glass for viewing an eclipse? I just don't know.

Obviously, Blue and Black are sisters, with Black being the hard-charging executive running the business Daddy left them, and Blue sort of sweetly dim and willing to go along. Pink is … their ambitious cousin? Ambitious marketing executive? Ambitious next-door-neighbor?

I love how the wide black belt on Black's dress makes her torso look square, like a Lego minifig. (You can pull the top right off and put it on another pair of legs! Very cool.)

Here's what the three of them are thinking right this minute:

Pink: Won't be long now. They won't even know what hit them. Stupid cows.

Black: Quarterly earnings should be good. Got to figure out what to do with Doug in the Western Region. He's not pulling his weight. Jerry better have the new prototype ready tomorrow.

I actually bought the gray one, but for some reason Clothkits' site is bollixed and they only show the back view (which, while pleasant, is not inspiring).

The design is by the UK artist Rob Ryan, who is wonderful. I love his work.

I've never done a ready-made kit project before, and I'm looking forward to it — I think it will be quite soothing, like latch-hooking. Although I'm not quite sure yet where the pockets will go. (But There Will Be Pockets.) If you buy this (and warning: it's very expensive, even more so when you factor in shipping to the US) definitely check out the link to Ruth's blog above for her elegant variation.